


like a four leaf clover

by Rosyredlipstick



Series: fireworks [8]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Lots of it, M/M, Vague reference to child abuse, cursing, gods can be good parents sometimes, i love it, some illegal things are done for very good reasons, the stolls are kind of badass but so is katie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-14 18:39:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14775050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosyredlipstick/pseuds/Rosyredlipstick
Summary: Tumblr prompt: "I would love to see more of the Katie/Connor brotp, especially of their horseradish promises!"-----When it's three in the morning and Katie Gardner calls you, you answer.And when she asks you to help her cross the state in secret with a random kid at her side, well, you ask who's driving.





	like a four leaf clover

_A best friend is like a four leaf clover -_

_\- hard to find, lucky to have._

* * *

 “Horseradish.”

Connor could hardly blink in surprise at that. Mostly because his eyes weren’t staying open long enough to classify anything as a blink. He squinted his eyes at his bedside table, the digital clock resting there reading numbers back at him. Vaguely, he wished he was surprised. At this point, he was mostly just tired.

“It’s...three in the morning,” he barely got out, his voice raspy from sleep, “and I’m in New York. And you’re…”

“Outside your apartment. Now, _horseradish.”_

That woke him up. He was out of his bed in an instant, pulling on a shirt in the next, even as he yawned into the phone speaker still pressed against his cheek. He paused for a moment, his eyes flickering towards the front of his bed. He wiped the grit from them. “Do I need my to-go bag?”

“What?” There was huff across the line, annoyed. “Just hurry. And be _quiet.”_

“Well, sorry,” He muttered, gathering his essentials despite her non-answer - his wallet, lighter, pocket knife, keys, some others - and after a moment of consideration, ended up grabbing his small duffel. Keeping his steps light, he quietly made his way out of the apartment. Travis wasn't at all a heavy sleeper -- not like their many other siblings -- but hopefully their _Fortnite_ marathon play well into the late hours of the night, both of them calling it quits barely two hours ago, would keep him down. Katie, after all, would have called him first if she wanted them both.

Katie was the image of impatience as she leaned against the wall across from their door, frowning as she pulled her phone away to stab at the screen, probably hanging up the call now that Connor was out. He gave her a look, throwing the strap of his bag across his shoulder.  

“Is there something you need?”

“Horseradish,” she muttered out again, taking his arm and dragging him towards the elevator, effectively halting his questions for a moment. Thankfully, it was still there from when she came up, probably because no one was stupid enough to be out at four in the morning to use it. He envied them.

Connor sighed and allowed himself to be pulled along. He had woken pretty fast during that phone call, but there was still some ways for him to go. He hoped something bad that Katie would at least allow a coffee run during this adventure.

“So,” Connor popped the word, taking his arm back and rubbing his eyes. “You need the Stoll expertise, I assume?”  

There was a moment of silence, Katie shifting next to him. He gave her a dull look.

“I might have stolen a car,” She admitted, looking a tad sheepish. Not very, just a tad.  Her morals were nearly as gray as his. “And outran the cops. And some petty theft.”

Connor sighed, a bit relieved, already starting to think everything through. He had been expecting something worse, honestly. She led them out of the elevator, mostly keeping them out of the security cam feed. She was smart.

Connor looked around the empty street as she led them down it, trying to spot which car was out of place enough to identify it as hers. “Are we keeping the car or ditching it? I have some extra license plates -”

“Oh,” She interrupted his quick planning, finally looking a bit apologetic as she paused in front of one of the vehicles. Dark, unremarkable enough to fit in anywhere. Solid choice. “One more thing -- what classifies as kidnapping?”

A breath rushed out of him, “...why are you asking?”

She threw the backseat door open, and, well, there was her reason for asking.

“This is Rowan,” her voice went impossibly soft, “and we’re taking him to camp.”

The kid was currently passed out in the backseat, rightly so with the late hour. As she edged the door further open, Katie wrinkled her nose and began swatting away a thin layer of green dust. A protection blessing, probably applied as she ran upstairs to get him, drawn from Demeter magic. It was strong stuff, even in the concrete and smog of New York City.

Connor gave himself a moment to process this. Finally, like when all problems seemed a bit too big for him, he thought of his brother. “And why isn’t Travis down here as well?”

“He’d be so upset if he finds out I committed my first grand theft auto without him,” She pointed out, which was probably true. Travis took this kind of stuff _seriously._ “And I don’t have a horseradish promise with _him,_ do I?”

Connor sighed, setting his shoulders in a tense line. Katie carefully clicked the backseat door shut, sealing the sleeping kid away once again. “No, you don’t. So what’s the plan here?”

“We need to get him to camp,” Katie flipped her braid over her shoulder, “I’d take him myself but his mom tipped the cops and they’re looking for him.”

Connor let out a breath, sliding into the passenger seat. “Why don’t you call Chiron? He can send someone.”

She frowned, more at the situation than him himself. “I promised him I wouldn’t leave him. And you know Chiron -”

“- would insist you go home instantly,” Connor finished because it was true. Chiron hated interrupting their school year for demigod stuff, especially after the war. She nodded.

Katie settled in the driver’s seat, giving him a look as he thought it all over. He was definitely helping her, that was no question, but with the cops already after her and a call out for their descriptions, the easiest route might just be calling Argus for a ride in the camp vans.

“You know,” Katie started off, her voice telling that whatever she was going to say, Connor absolutely didn’t know, but would very much like to. “I just Irised Miranda yesterday. Our weekly catch up, you know.” She hummed, probably enjoying hanging the information over his head. “She mentioned that Sabrina’s been having some bad nightmares recently. So bad actually, her oldest brother flew in for a few days to comfort her.”

Connor froze.

Katie continued, “I think he’s scheduled to be at camp for, what, two more days? But his plane ticket isn’t until Sunday. Strange. I wonder who he wanted to surprise with those extra two days.”

“Mitchell’s...in New York?” Connor’s voice was strained, “He was going to surprise me?”

“I suppose so,” She examined her nails, “I wonder how much fun it would be to surprise him instead.”

Katie....was too powerful. She knew his weakness. She knew _everything._

“Okay,” he finally conceded, already imagining Mitchell’s wide-eyed look of surprise. It was one of his favorite things in the world. Maybe they’d get there early enough that Connor could just fall into Mitchell’s bunk and wait until morning for the other boy to find him. Sleep and his boy - his favorite things.

Katie started up the car, peeling off the curb to go off in no direction in particular, and shot a glance in her rearview mirror.

“How did you know to find him?” Connor turned in his seat to look towards the boy. Even in the darkness of the night and car, dark and half-faded bruises were still evident across his tanned skin.

Katie’s mouth flattened out, “I had a dream. And when I woke up, there was an address.” She gestured towards the cup holder, where a crumpled post-it sat. “I knew I had to get him out of there.”

“And his mother? She’s coming after him?”

“Is probably scared he’ll tell someone,” Katie’s hands tightened on the wheel, her eyes daggers as she stared out into the street. “Getting him out of there quickly and safely was top priority but trust me, I would have _loved_ to run into her on my way out.”

Connor hummed, agreeing. They were both a bit too bloodthirsty for their own good, but hey, it had gotten them this far.

“We’ve got to ditch the car,” That was top priority. These streets were too hidden and narrow to have regular patrol, part of the reason he and Travis had chosen this apartment in particular, so they’d be safe for now. He pointed off into the distance, a glowing 24-hour shop at the end of his thought. “Pull over there.”

Katie did as told, squeezing the car in between two others, and gave him an expectant look as she turned off the engine. He was already typing out a list on his phone, only looking up when he hit send. A moment later, Katie’s phone buzzed.

“Grab all that stuff,” he told her, shifting through his pocket. A small tool kit, one that had saved his ass in too many tight spots, was clutched in his hand. “We need to wipe down the car. I’ll grab a new one.”

“We don’t have a lot of time,” she warned, looking over the list.

“I don’t need a lot of time,” he told her, mostly just to be petty but half-offended. He was one of the best in his cabin, and they timed it last summer. Phoebe had topped with him only a few seconds, and he was only _slightly_ still bitter about it.

She rolled her eyes, getting out of the car, and Connor followed her movement. He waited for a second as she locked the doors and settled her hands over the hood, her eyes fluttering shut, and a thin shine of magic spread of her hands. It only took a few seconds, and she was left swaying slightly on her feet. At his look she nodded, which he returned, and they separated.

He kept his head down, his jacket up to his chin, as he surveyed his small array of options. Nothing fancy, but nothing exceptionally old either. They needed something that could outrun a monster or two if it came down to it, after all.

He finally settled on an unremarkable Chevy, some compact thing that would probably keep his legs from comfortably stretching out but looking generic enough for him to feel comfortable in other ways.

He sent a brief prayer to the owners - the gods, if feeling pitying that moment would make sure they were compensated - and began the process. A long metal bar unfolded from his kit and magicked stronger than the thin tin should have allowed, slid down the front window until a click.

He kept his eye over his shoulder, casual and confident in his actions, and slid into the driver's seat. This part was the easiest after all his practice, a simple break of plastic then a few peeling of wire and touch of electricity. It had gone extremely well - _too_ well, even with Connor’s experience. Demeter must have been desperate enough to ask for his father’s blessing.

Once Connor got the car going, he headed back to where Katie had parked by the shop and pulled over, leaving the vehicle going as he got out. Hopefully, she was nearly finished up, and they could get going before any witnesses caught sight of them. Neither he or Katie were very talented in memory charms, after all.

Rowan was awake now apparently, blinking quickly, his eyes darting around the deserted street as he stood at the curb. He had looked younger in the backseat, maybe six or seven in comparison to Connor’s own siblings, but awake and standing his age was more clear. Nine, maybe, or a smaller eight years old. Usually a bit too young for camp, but he was definitely underfed. So telling from how his clothes bagged around his thin wrists, Connor’s estimation could be even more off.

“Don’t forget to check the vents,” Connor told her, “loose hair gets caught in there all the time.”

Katie nodded, bending forward to do so, and Rowan’s eyes flickered to Connor in a nervous motion.

Connor tried for his most welcoming grin, not making a move to touch the other boy. Instead, he nodded in greeting. “I’m Connor, Katie’s friend. I’m here to help.” He looked towards Katie, who was nearly finished. “Did Katie explain everything to you?”

Rowan stared at him with dark eyes for a long moment before nodding slightly. He spoke up, and his voice was soft but steady. “Katie told me about our mom,” He looked away for a moment, “and about our magic. And the monsters.”

Connor let out a breath, “Yeah, that’s the toughest part.” He tried for a reassuring smile, wishing slightly Katie would finish up and lead the conversation. Travis usually handled the new recruits.

“Are you...like me?” He asked, his arms tight as they wrapped around himself.

Connor nodded, “Yes. We’re demigods.” He vaguely remembered the poorly produced video Chiron had shown him and Travis all those years ago and had never craved a VHS tape so much before.

“And Katie’s my sister?” There was a clear half-question in his voice, even as Connor nodded. Katie was just about finished, collected the wipes she had used on the leather. “Are we...brothers?”

Connor cracked a grin at that, “No, I’m a son of Hermes. You’re a son of Demeter. Different gods, and all.”

Katie straightened up, the plastic shop bag now filled with used up wipes. He nodded at the question in her gaze, jerking his chin towards the waiting car. She had a small bag hanging across her torso, probably the kid’s from the cartoon characters stitched on the side.

“Good?”

She nodded, throwing the freshly cleaned keys onto the leather seat before locking and slamming the door shut after her. Without another lingering beat, she set off to their waiting car. Rowan, after a quick, nervous look to the car, followed.

Connor, after a single moment of thinking, rounded the front of the car and paused in front of the driver’s seat, just as Katie was moving to slide in.

“How long have you been driving?” Connor gave her a look, more concern than question in the look.

Katie shrugged, “Few hours. He was in the next state, and I had to book it here.”

Not as bad as he thought. Still, he held his hand out for the keys.

“Backseat,” he laughed at the look she shot him, “the cops might be checking the traffic cams. Gotta be careful.”

She huffed out a breath but slid in the backseat with Rowan’s bag across her lap. Rowan, silent and watching them both with flickering eyes, followed her example. He settled in the front seat - adjusting the seat and mirror, clearing some old gum wrappers the owner left on the front dash - and flicked a look to Katie through the rear mirror.

“Traffic’s not bad for another hour or so,” Connor told them, glancing at the clock. “The drive is about two hours.”

“So get comfortable,” She translated helpfully for Rowan, holding out her arm. After a long moment of consideration, he settled against her. Soon, both of their eyes were fluttered shut.

The car wasn’t well stocked, but that could be due to his immediate comparison to his and Travis’s own emergency packets hidden under their passenger seat. Mitchell had teased him about them when Connor had mentioned one time, saying something about being prepared for even the zombie apocalypse, but the fact was the kits had been used more than enough times to be considered worth it. Probably in the low teens, if he was being honest.

He didn’t need to pull up his phone’s GPS, not for the camp, so he just drove in the correct direction. Soon, though, his stomach was growling, fully expecting the large morning breakfast that came with being awake at this hour. He sighed, annoyed. Stupid teenage boy metabolism.

He pulled over to the first open convenience store he could find, his stomach growling the entire time, and looked to his mirror. Katie was already asleep, but there was no way he was leaving the car unattended.

“Hey,” he waited until she was blinking back at him, “I’m getting some water and snacks. Watch the car.”

Katie nodded, readjusting her posture so she was sitting up, the kid still peacefully passed out on her shoulder. He left them, the store just barely open for the public, and started making a list of what they needed.

Water bottles, definitely, and some granola bars. Katie probably hadn’t eaten since the afternoon before, and he had no guess for the kid. Maybe some fruit snacks too. He grabbed it all quickly, keeping his face down and from the view of the security cameras without seeming too suspicious, and went to check out. Thankfully, most likely due to the still early hour, the rest of the store was deserted.

The clerk was staring board at the TV on the side of the wall, some news station playing, as Connor unpacked his basket on the counter. The volume was too loud, but not many people were around to complain about it, he supposed.

Just as he set down a bottle of juice, he froze. He looked up to what had drawn his attention - what name mostly - and felt himself tense up.

Rowan’s photo - a school photo from the looks of it - stared back at them from the screen, a grainy security photo along the side. Katie’s face was just barely hidden, but her hair and clothes remained distinct. An Amber Alert was out, with the license plate and vehicle description of Katie’s first car listed. Once they found the missing car, it would only be a matter of time before their current car info was out.

He let out a breath. He steadied himself.

The clerk was staring at the screen, shaking her head. “The world’s gone to shit,” she muttered, looking bitter. “Poor kid.”

In his pocket, his phone vibrated with a text. If he took too long, Katie would have no reservations coming in to check on him. He jabbed his hand out, the crisp bills extended.

“Keep the change,” he told her stiffly, filling the plastic bag with his purchases. In another moment, he was out.

“Any trouble?” Katie yawned after the door slammed after him, Rowan at her side blinking awake.

Connor met her eyes in the rearview mirror.

He glanced at the kid curled against her side, giving him an obvious look. She would understand.

Her jaw tightened, suddenly looking much more awake, and dipped back down below the window.

They still had around an hour to go, maybe more if the traffic got too bad which, it was New York City, so it was probably destined to. Katie dozed back to sleep as he was making his way through a granola bar and he flicked on the radio to a low volume.

He drove for a while, maybe another half an hour, with Katie dozing in and out the entire time. A bit longer of this, to Connor humming along to the soft music that vaguely reminded him of one of his sisters -- maybe it was Alice’s favorite song? Or Riley’s? -- until a flickering light brought his attention to the dashboard.

He cursed under his breath, flicking at the glass separating the glowing lights. The gas bar remained stubbornly low, the warning light annoyingly bright. Two stops in an hour wasn’t good, but he hardly had a choice at this point.

He didn’t bother to wake up Katie, he wasn’t going very far after all, and went through the motions quickly. After a minute of this, standing with his back to the nearest security camera and pumping the gas, he looked up. He froze.

An older man, pumping his own gas from the station to his right, was staring down Connor’s vehicle with narrowed eyes, not even trying to be subtle about it. Shit.

Connor gave him a tense look, unclicking the pump despite the tank only being half filled, and quickly screwed the gas cap back on. The man looked ready to step forward, and Connor slammed the door behind himself roughly.

The guy was reaching for his phone, and as Connor began to drive away, he took a picture of their license plate.

Fuck. _Fuck._

“Katie,” She woke up quickly with the simple call of her name, the tense note of his voice. “I had to stop for gas and I think someone gonna report our vehicle.”

She sat up, waking up the kid as she did so. “Can we switch with someone?”

He clicked his tongue, already scanning the streets. “Too much traffic,” he bit out, “and it’s too nice of a neighborhood. They’ve definitely got someone or something watching out.”

She cursed, her hands clenching down on the seat. “What do we do?”

He sighed, “Hope, I guess.” His voice was wary, “and keep driving.”

And he did so, checking his mirrors and rear view as much as he could, looking for anything out of the usual. A tense silence settled over the car, Katie doing the same, Rowan clenching at his seatbelt.

“Connor,” Katie suddenly spoke out, her voice high. “They’re --”

Her voice cut off as Connor’s eyes flickered to the back window -- and watched as a car peeled off the curb, their blue and red hidden lights flashing on.

Fuck.

More than a few cars separated them, but it was obvious who they were coming for.

Connor immediately turned into the next street and tried to get lost in the traffic. Another turn here, a lane change, and a highway merge later, the cop was, momentarily, out of their sight. They couldn’t stay on the highway forever -- it was going in the opposite direction of the camp and while it may throw off their current cop, there was no saying what the extra time on the road would bring them -- so he got off on the first exit he could and merged back into traffic. In the backseat, both Rowan and Katie remained tense and silent, their hands clasped together. Connor met Katie’s eyes in the rearview mirror.

Despite his hopes that the highway change would be enough, it wasn’t long before another cop car was on their tail. Their plates must have been given over the com, which, worst case scenario.

He, at least, tried kept his cursing internal, a bit more aware even with the stress that the kid was watching him with dark, anxious eyes. The traffic across from them was way too busy to risk going anyways, and there wasn’t anywhere to turn or hide. Maybe hiding, or simply going on foot --

His thoughts, going miles a minute, cut off as a motorcycle suddenly jerked into the same lane as them, much too close.

Connor rolled down his window as the driver began gesturing for him to do so, but before he could get a word out the driver began yelling to them.  
“Switch jackets with the kids and get on,” the helmet yelled out to them, both of them freezing in their seats. Rowan pressed impossibly closer to Katie’s side.

The figure huffed out a frustrated sound, reaching up to flip their helmet visor, and almost immediately Connor was breathing easier.

“Switch jackets with the kid and get on,” Travis repeated to Katie, giving them an urgent look. He cast a checking look around, sirens screaming in the distance. “Pull your hair back and keep your face down - Connor, I’ll get them off your trail.”

There was a beat of silence, mostly as they tried to recover from their confusion.

“Go!”

They jumped into action. Katie pulled her hair into a messy bun at the back of her neck, and Connor quickly turned in his seat and helped unzip and peel off Rowan’s brightly colored jacket, throwing it over to Katie for her to force her arms through and pull the hood up. She climbed over Rowan, careful not to hit their bags, and crawled out of the car. Behind them, cars were honking loudly.

“Get on,” Travis told Katie, then looking at Connor. “Go. If we’re not there in an hour, go on without us.”

“Call if you need bail,” Connor called over, his adrenaline still high but anxiously fading tremendously. Just as the cop cars were coming forward in the distance, Travis made a show of zooming off in the other direction, Rowan’s jacket fluttering behind them.

Connor quickly jerked the car forward, taking the first opportunity to back the car into an alley, hopefully enough attention off his vehicle that they could stay hidden. After a few minutes -- there wasn’t much time to waste -- he pulled the car forward into the street, Rowan quiet in the backseat the entire time.

And -- _fuck._

Despite Travis and Katie taking a majority of the cops trailing them, a few stubbornly remained, patrolling the streets. Fuck. And Connor had pulled out at the perfect moment for them, just as they turned the corner, giving the cops a full view of his suspicious exit and car make. There was definitely a call out for his car, and this fact was proven at how fast the siren lights lit up at the sight of him. He cursed, turning his car back into the traffic, and pressed down on the gas.

He laid out a mental map, thinking through the streets and back roads and alleys. It was a gift that came with being a Hermes kid, one he was extremely grateful for, but one he couldn’t help but curse as it told him bad news.

Their current street was ending, and the next two turns most definitely were already blocked. Construction on the third, upping the crowds but also the cops leading traffic. Fuck. Fuck.

He needed to cut them off somehow, just enough to slow them down so he and Rowan could disappear into the crowds. He just needed to cut them off.

The car jerked under him as he hit a pothole, the car losing control for a second. He steadied the vehicle, his thoughts still a mile a minute, before he exhaled.

A thought occurred to him. A stupid ass thought, but one that could work. Fuck.

“Hey Rowan,” Connor yelled to the backseat, “Katie put a blessing on you, right?”

“Yes,” his voice was soft but strong and immediate. It matched his suddenly steady gaze, as he met Connor’s eyes through the rearview mirror. “It was really strong.”

“Good,” Connor answered, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. “Seat beat’s on, right?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” Connor gritted his teeth, This was stupid, even for him, but not as stupid as it would be without a blessing. Quickly, he sent a few words off to his father. “You’re going to be okay, I promise.” If anything, he knew that. The car hit a violent speed bump, throwing them in the air and down leaving the car screeching, and Connor took a sharp turn. The blinking lights followed in his distance.

He took a deep breath, feeling suddenly calm, and knew what he needed to do. He looked to Rowan. _“Kid --”_ He cut himself off as he jerked the steering wheel to the side, _“Brace yourself.”_

He did so himself, his hands tight around the wheel, his muscles tense and still as the vehicle slid completely to the side and skidded across the street, narrowing missing a honking car. It was quick but somehow seemed to last forever until the front of the car caught on another’s side and violently wrenched to a stop. With the motion, the windshield and left window cracked open forcibly, littering them both in tiny shards of glass.  

They were both breathing heavy, adrenaline shaking Connor’s hands, but they hardly had a moment to pause. Sirens were in the distance, and getting closer.

He climbed over the seat divider and into the backseat, checking over the kid despite the faint green magic that lingered over his skin. At least that would protect him from any cuts.

“Out, out,” Connor urged him along, grabbing their bags and Rowan’s hand and pulling them both. The blinking lights were getting closer. “We gotta run.”

Connor had managed to skid the car at such an angle the street was now completely cut off, and the surrounding traffic was in no way happy about this. Hopefully, dear gods please, the mist would be doing well to disguise them just enough to keep their faces blurry and unrelatable to any media coverage.

The cops would have to chase them on foot, and their head start gave them an incredibly advantage to disappear into a crowd. As they rushed away, they began to do just that.

“Where are we going?” Rowan asked, his hand gripping at Connor’s. “Where did Katie go?”

“Katie is with my older brother, he’ll keep her safe.” That was one of the truths of the universe, if any. Well, they’ll keep _each other_ safe. That had been proven ten times over. “We’re meeting them at a motel.”

Connor typed into his phone, finding what he needed, and sighed. This was gonna take a while.

“Okay,” Connor readjusted his hold on the kid’s hand, giving him a reassuring smile. “We’ve got some walking to do.”

Rowan went along with it, apparently no more questions, but stuck close to his side as they went through the crowded streets. Early morning rush, despite it being hardly seven.

He sighed in relief as they came across their destination, a dingy, dimly lit motel. Travis would have paid for the day, despite their rule of not staying anywhere longer for an hour when they were staying under the radar. Threw off suspicion, he guessed.

“Hi,” Connor gave the older woman at the counter a coy smile, leaning in. “Would you happen to have any rooms rented under the name ‘Rogers’?”

She returned his grin, more polite than flirt. “Name?”

“James Barnes,” Connor grinned, sliding his I.D. over. “I’m looking for a Steven Rogers. He said he’d be here.”

“Oh, yes, he told me you were coming.” She looked over his I.D. - it was basically official, at this point, he wasn’t in anyway worried - and wrote down his name. “A Margaret Carter is also checked in to that room,” She told him, sliding over a room key and pamphlet. Her eyes flickered down to Rowan’s small figure half-huddled behind him. Connor held his breath.

“Aren’t you a cutie,” She only said, smiling and standing to get a better look. “What’s your name, hun?”

“This is Anthony,” Connor spoke before Rowan could, “my little brother.”

“Cute,” She only smiled. “Anyways, the ice machine is in the hall. Holler if you need anything.”

“Will do,” Connor took back his I.D. with a grin, tucking it back into its specific back pocket, and gave her another grin before taking Rowan’s hand and leading him to the correct door.

He knocked -- twice with a pause then repeat, then three times in a row -- and the door was flying open.

Travis gave him a look as he moved out of the doorway, secret concern neither of them would acknowledge. “Took your time.”

“Not my fault the first pay by the hour motel google had to offer was forty-five minutes away,” He huffed, dropping his and Rowan’s bags on the bed. “We had to get here on foot.”

Travis hummed, accepting the excuse, before bending down to better speak quietly to Rowan. Connor, honestly, was a bit relieved. Connor never felt great with younger kids, despite Katie’s claims that he should fit in best with them.

A side door open -- leading to the bathroom, probably -- and Katie nearly wilted in relief at the sight of them.

“Oh thank gods,” Katie tugged at her collar, one of her sleeves completely missing, the other in ribbons. “You brought your duffel?”

“‘Course,” Connor was already digging around in his bag, throwing over one of his sleep shirts. “What happened to your shirt?”

“Caught on fire,” Katie waved off the words, “how did you throw off the cops? We saw a few of them still trailing you.”

“Crashed the car,” Connor shrugged as Katie quickly changed before turning to Rowan, speaking softly and steady. The kid was quiet, but he seemed to be taking it all as well as he could. He was definitely a demigod. “Speaking of -” He turned to his brother, giving Travis a look. “What are you doing here? Not that you didn’t totally save our asses or anything, but how?”

Travis gave him an obvious look, “My brother sneaks out of the apartment at three in the morning and you think I’m _not_ gonna follow?” He let out an unimpressed breath, “Honestly, I thought I was just gonna get some blackmail material on you and Mitchell or something. Imagine my surprise when I see Katie, dragging a middle schooler around.” Her cheeks colored at that, but the stubborn tilt of her chin stayed angled up.

“How did you find us?” Connor let out a breath, “I’d been doing pretty good at keeping them off our trail. I would have noticed you following.”

“You were,” There was a touch of approval in his voice that Connor tried not to too obviously preen at. Travis held up his phone, “But I’ve had a tracker on you since we were fourteen.”

“Its come in handy,” Katie pointed out, apparently knowing this already, recovering from her quick embarrassment. “But I thought it was in his watch? He left it behind.”

A brief sour look crossed his face, “Mitchell bought him this super nice watch for his birthday, so he stopped wearing his everyday one. I just threw one on his phone instead.”

Connor...had no room to speak. He’d placed numerous trackers on his own few select people, although he hardly checked them nowadays. Considering the small, metal circle tucked away in Travis’s own worn wallet, one that Travis absolutely knew about at this point, they seemed to be on the same page.

Connor sighed, falling back into the desk chair, and looked at them both. “So. What do we do next? Katie, Rowan, and I have to be all over the news by now.”

Travis gave Katie a look like they had discussed something before Connor and Rowan had arrived. Gods, did Connor hate that look.

“We -” Travis started, his voice taking on _that_ tone, “we’re going to take a taxi.”

“What?” Connor gave him an obvious look, “Uh, we can’t exactly call for one and hope for the best, what if they turn us in? Or what if -- wait.” Connor cut himself off, his eyes going wide. Travis nodded. “No. No.”

Katie shrugged, “We already called them.” She zipped up his duffel, throwing it over her shoulder, and began climbing out on the window. Avoiding the front entrance, but -- _but --_

“Woman up, Stoll,” Katie called out from outside, just as the smokey car pulled up to the curb. Travis helped the kid out the window and, somehow, followed them both out in the street.

Connor groaned. He nearly screamed. And then he followed.

* * *

His first step out of the taxi and he was already falling to the grass.

“I hate that,” Connor groaned out, clenching his head. “Never again.”

“That’s what you always say,” Travis pointed out, his hair plastered to his forehead from sweat. Even he was having trouble fighting off nausea.

Impossibly, the kid had fallen asleep on the way. The sisters had seemed impossibly sympathetic towards the boy, speaking to him softly and letting him mess with the fuzzy dice that hung from the ceiling. At least he wasn’t traumatized by his first experience. Connor picked himself off the ground and took Rowan, still asleep, and threw him over his shoulder. He continued to sleep on just fine. Travis, thankfully, grabbed their two bags and swayed on his feet.

Katie waved off the smokey taxi, looking peachy fine, and didn’t even look bothered by their echoing high-pitched laughter as they drove away at an impossible, horrible speed.

Katie turned to them, “We need med supplies,” she eyed Connor’s cheek and rubbed at the light burns on her arms and neck. “Ambrosia should be fine for both of us, nothing internal.”

“Let’s just break into the Big House, grab what we need, and go.” Connor rubbed his face with his free hand. “I don’t feel like running into the harpies right now, and you know how they are around the infirmary.”

“Deal,” Katie agreed, probably even more exhausted than all of them.

Travis handled picking the lock, using his own kit hidden in his shoe, and swung open the door to allow them in first.

Just as they were shutting the door quietly behind them, the lights in the living room flickered on and lit up the whole room.  

“Oh,” Even Travis blinked back in surprise. “You’re awake. Uh, good morning.”

Chiron raised an eyebrow, looking to Katie. “I saw your photo on last night’s news,” his lips twitched into an almost smile, “I was wondering when you were going to show up.”

Katie flipped her hair, giving him a look. “Half a day isn’t bad, I think.”

Chiron looked over to them, amusement in his eyes. “And with company, I see.”

Connor had Rowan thrown over a shoulder still, the kid dead asleep. That was probably for the best, for now.

Katie shrugged, “I needed help, and who knows better how to smuggle out of New York?”

“True,” He agreed with good nature. “And how was your trip?” He looked to Connor, somehow knowing.

“We crashed a car,” He sighed out, wiping at his cheek. It still stung, but mostly itched like crazy, from the crash. “I mean, first we stole a car. Then we crashed it.”

“Two cars, actually, were stolen,” Katie added on like it was important. Her twisted wrist was swollen like a balloon, and the edge of her sleeve had been darkened in red. A bad cut, but probably not needing stitches. Travis, on her other side, let out an approving sound as he rubbed at the slice on his forehead.

“And a motorcycle,” Travis added helpfully.

Connor sighed, “Why does that matter.”

Travis gave him a look, “You know it matters. With this head start, we’re _totally_ gonna win the Hermes pot at the end of the summer.” He said it like they hadn’t also won the pot of dollar bills and drachmas -- given to the Hermes kid(s) who exhibited the most spirit of their father -- the past three years.

“Perhaps it is time to wake up the young child,” Chiron suggested, nodding to where he was passed out on Connor’s shoulder. Thank god he didn’t skip arm day -- his arms were _just_ starting to ache.

Katie stepped forward to do the honors, shaking him softly and calling his name. It only took a moment or two, and Katie spoke to him quietly, probably updating him on everything that had happened. As she led him to the couch, his eyes were impossibly wide as he took the room -- and Chiron, mostly -- in.

Everything seemed to be under control. The kid was safe, they were at camp, soooo…..

Connor took a step back, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m just gonna -”

“All the campers are still sleeping,” Chiron told him,  _“including_ the Aphrodite cabin.”

Gods, Connor wished he wasn’t so obvious.

“Yeah, totally.” He ignored Travis’s snort of laughter. “I wasn’t going there anyway.”

“Of course,” Chiron agreed, “How silly of me to think that. But if you are in a rush to step out somewhere, I do believe Kayla is scheduled for the second night shift in the infirmary,” Chiron told them with a pleasant smile, “I’m sure she’d love to see you all.”

“Of course!” Travis agreed, leading them away. “I’ll make sure Katie and Connor get there!”

With, of course, meant that they were merely stepping outside for a breather and catch-up. Chiron definitely knew -- they hadn’t been taken to the infirmary both willing and conscious since they were pre-teens.

Chiron gave them a look meaning he knew exactly what they were doing, but didn’t fight it and instead turned to Rowan’s small figure curled on the ratty couch. His eyes were jumping on everything but lingering nowhere.

“Hey,” Connor paused at the side of the couch, Rowan’s nervous eyes flickering over to him in a moment. “We’re gonna step out for a few minutes, but we’ll be right back, okay? Chiron’ll take good care of you.” He held out his pinky, a half-smile in place. “Promise.”

Rowan was quick to wrap his own pinky around Connor’s own, looking almost relieved with the action. Connor shook it, smiled, and followed Katie and Travis out into the hall.

Katie almost immediately fell against the wall, relief making her go lax. Travis, at her side, only tucked his shoulder under her hand for her to lean on. She exhaled.

“I’m not ready to be a mother,” She breathed out, her eyes shut. She was now fully leaning on Travis, who seemed more than content to hold her up. “Is this how stressful it is? Gods. How do they do it.”

“I feel like when you’re not on the run, it’s a little less stressful,” Connor commented, “like,” he held out his fingertips with just an inch separating them, “this much less stressful.”

“I’ll take it,” Katie opened both eyes, taking a breath but making no motion to move off Travis. She seemed to be considering just climbing on his back. “Everyone good? All limbs in place?”

“I’d like to think I’d notice if either of you lost a limb,” Travis added thoughtfully, “and I think we’re good to forgo the infirmary. Chiron just wanted us out of there to get a quick run-down on Rowan’s situation.”

Connor paused, a thought occurring to him.“Has he been officially claimed yet?”

There was a pause, “Not yet. She’s probably waiting until everyone is awake.”

Connor rose his shoulder in a half-shrug, glancing towards his brother. Travis nodded, leaving Connor to sigh and face Katie head-on. She wasn’t going to like this. “He’s gonna have to spend the night in our cabin, then.”

Her mouth smoothed out into a line, her protective streak flaring up. She stood tall, picking herself off of Travis’s arm. “But I _know_ -”

“The cabin magic will probably reject him if he’s not claimed,” he told her easily because this was something she knew. “Yeah, it might not. But he’s had a rough day, and it’ll just make everything worse.”

“We’ll take care of him, Gardner,” Travis told her, his voice a promise.

Her jaw clenched, and she looked like she was ready to keep fighting when she suddenly turned, her hair still pulled back in that weak bun.

“I know,” she told them over her shoulder, barely looking at them, her voice strained. “I know you will.”

She walked away with that, needing a moment and bit of fresh air, something that neither brothers would hold against her. Travis watched her leave, something odd on his face, before turning back to Connor.

“Rowan?”

“Let’s get him,” Connor lead them back to the Big House, “he’s probably being subjected to horrible music and stale cookies.”

They shared a small, tired grin that was solely powered by the memory of their own orientation, and went to find their newest campers.

* * *

“Well,” Connor felt no need to lower his voice as he threw open the door -- with the exception of Travis and a few others, all home for the school year, Hermes kids usually slept like dead rocks. “Welcome to the Hermes cabin.”

Rowan was clenching his backpack to this chest, his eyes wide as he took everything in - scorch marks and fire damage in all.

It was probably the shittest cabin out of them all, but it was home and no one ever felt bad when yet another stain joined their collection. The stains were probably one of its best features.

“Bathroom is in the corner,” Travis pointed it out, “but if you need to go, come wake one of us up to take you. Our siblings like to make these kinds of things...exciting.”

They both winced, thinking of the last time. That was never a good memory.

Instead, Connor led him to one of their unclaimed bucks, flipping the blankets out to remove the dust or lint. The gods had gotten better at claiming their kids these past few years, so much so that the extra bucks were just that - extra. They weren’t homes to anyone.

Rowan settled on the bunk carefully, his hands clenched on the sheets as he stared down at the dirty floor. They’d have to mop soon - with Anya home for the school year, the sole insisting figure on a cleaning schedule, Phoebe must be slacking off on her duties. He’d have to talk to her about that because, despite the initial eye-roll that came with a _chore chart_ of all things, it had been working pretty well. He never knew a lack of mold could be so refreshing.

“Hey,” Travis’s voice pulled him back, as the older boy bent down in front of Rowan. “You’re safe now. You’ll be claimed soon and you can meet some of your siblings and stay at camp as long as you want. No one is going to make you go home.”

The kid’s cheeks went red at that, like he was embarrassed Travis read him so easily. It was why Travis handled all the new kids to their cabin -- as he got older, he just seemed to have a natural way with them. It made Connor’s chest puff out with pride to see that. His brother, knowing all the right steps.

It was Connor’s turn -- they were a tag-team, after all. “We’ve had a long night, you especially.” Connor stepped forward, leaning close. “You’ll feel better when you wake up.”

Rowan looked up at that, meeting Connor’s gaze and trusting, before flicking a glance at Travis and nodding. Connor, closest to the edge of the cot, helped him under the sheets and stood fully with Travis. Rowan gave them one last familiar look -- overwhelmed, maybe a bit scared -- and turned over. Connor lingered for another moment, thinking, as Travis stepped back and took Connor’s duffel from the floorboards.

He made a decision. He rested his hand on the wood of the bed frame, his eyes sliding shut, and pressed a quick warning spell around the boy. While Connor was usually a total, complete fan of whatever trouble his siblings could conjure on a daily basis, warding his siblings off the kid would be best until they could all get a good night’s sleep. Rough day, and all.

He pulled away, but just as he was about to completely leave, he paused, a thought occurring to him.

Travis, watching, only rolled his eyes in response, already changing into his pajamas. Connor always kept two of everything in his to-go bag for that exact reason, which Travis seemed to have helped himself too.

“Go,” Travis waved him off, “I’ll be here for the kid. Try not to get killed sneaking into their cabin.”

Connor flashed him a grin, eternally grateful, “I’ll watch out. See you in the morning?”

“In the later morning,” he corrected, his eyes glancing to the skyline. Dawn had already broken, but the morning was just beginning. “And for gods sake, wash the dirt and blood off your face before you crawl in bed with him.”

“Good point,” Connor agreed, going through the motions quickly. He stole a shirt off the ground -- Katie had taken his second packed one -- and changed quickly. He popped a stick of ambrosia in -- around the size of a stick of gum -- and watched his few cuts seal up.

Getting into the Aphrodite cabin was a practiced skill set at this point, where he avoided certain creaking floorboards on the porch and forwent the door entirely in preference for the back window that could be unlocked with a simple flick of a nail file. He crawled through the space slowly, careful not the tug on the dark curtains and risk rattling the pole holding them up, and stepped forward onto the carpet.

When he was finally in, he let go of a breath, looked up, and promptly met a pair of narrowed eyes.

Valentina’s hand was shoved under her pillow, her eyes dangerous as she stared him down through the shadows. A gun, probably, but a knife was just as probable considering her skill with both. Her eyes cleared after a moment, a bit of sleepiness replacing the emotion, and she sighed. She pulled her hand away to wave him on, her hand gesturing to Mitchell’s bunk, before flipping back over and pulling a blanket tight over her shoulder. Good.

He found the bunk he was looking for, automatic and already knowing, but paused before he went any further.

Mitchell, usually so incredibly jumpy in sleep, only shifted slightly on his cot, a small noise of sleep escaping as he turned his face back into the pillow. His hair was a faded blue, his roots showing under the color. Connor wondered if he was done with coloring it, or if he’d just been so busy. He had dark circles under his eyes, probably from staying up with Sabrina if her nightmares were bad enough for him to fly in.

Connor slowly edged himself under the comforter, pausing for a moment as Mitchell sighed and turned over, before folding himself carefully into the extra space. Everything that had happened in the last few hours was finally catching up with him, his body aching and heavy from lack of sleep. Just as the sun was beginning to creep up behind the trees, he slept.

* * *

“I can’t _believe_ you.”

Ah.

What a way to wake up.

Connor cracked open an eyelid, a small sleepy smile already twisting across his lips, and blinked himself awake. Despite the words, they held an impossible amount of fondness.

Mitchell was leaning against the wall, apparently just having woken up himself from the state of his messy hair, his legs still tucked into the blanket. His bottom bunk gave them an illusion of privacy that was in no way an actual thing -- Mitchell’s siblings could already be heard from their hushed whispers, louder giggles.

Mitchell cut a look back to him as Connor stretched out a bit, his arms coming over his head. He gave the other boy a lazy grin.

“I can’t _believe_ you,” Mitchell repeated, crossing his arms over his chest. “How did you - who _told you -_ “

“Hey babe,” Connor interrupted, still grinning. “What’s up? You surprised or something?”

“I hate you,” Mitchell told him through clenched teeth, no real heat behind the words. “I had _everything_ planned.”

He yawned through his grin. He was still a long way from feeling completely refreshed, but the few hours he’d managed to catch had at least helped.

Mitchell was still waiting for an answer, his fingertips dancing over the hem of Connor’s t-shirt, where just a slit of skin was exposed. Neither of them outright acknowledged it, although Connor did push his hip further against the other boy’s hand. Mitchell sighed.

“Katie horseradished me last night,” Connor finally told the other boy, a look of surprise flickering across his fine features. “Trust me, I would have _adored_ crossing the state just to see that pretty face of yours, but if you’re looking for someone to blame, Katie-girl is the one to see.”

Mitchell blinked a few times, “Is everything okay?”

He let go of a breath, “It is now.” He winced, just slightly. “Although, Katie, the kid, and I should probably stay out of the public eye for a bit, at least until my dad can mist our faces away or whatever.”

“Good idea,” Mitchell gave him a look of concern, his hand coming up to brush his hair out of his face. Connor leaned into his touch. “Maybe you should stay here for a few days. Just to be sure.”

Connor cracked open an eyelid. He hid his grin. “Just to be sure?”

“It’s just, you know -” Mitchell waved his hand around, “for your safety.”

“I do feel very safe here,,” Connor told him thoughtfully, his arms slowly coming up to wrap around the other boy. “Right here, in this bed, with _youuuu~_.”

_“I swear to the gods,”_

They both paused. They looked up.

Sebastian, in the top bunk, stuck his head out to glare down at them, fire in his sleepy eyes. Connor had to stifle a laugh, purely for his safety. He’d never seen Sebastian's hair so messy.

“This is cute and all,” His made a vague gesture towards them, “but I _swear to the gods_ , if you don’t _let me sleep_ , I will come down there and fight you _both.”_

Mitchell made a noise of annoyance, “Do you even _know_ what it’s like to live with you, Seb? I’ve heard things, _horrible_ things.”

Sebastian seemed in no way concerned with this. “At least I keep my activities to the shade of night where they _belong._ It’s not even time for _breakfast -”_

A pillow hit his face, abrupting cutting him off. They all looked to the source.

“If this cabin isn’t quiet in five minutes, I will curse each and every one of you,” Valentina threatened through her teeth, her hair messy and pulled back in a loose braid. Despite this, her threat nearly fluttered through the air. He had never heard the soft-spoken girl raise her voice, much less threaten her siblings with such severity the gods recognized it as true.

Connor was almost impressed.

A long silence followed her declaration, mostly as each camper processed the words with wide eyes.

“We’ll leave,” Mitchell said after a moment, apparently a compromise, as he climbed over Connor and began gathering his things. “Four minutes.”

Valentina seemed satisfied with this and only flipped back over in bed. She’d probably be embarrassed about it later -- it was her nature -- but she had no regrets at the moments.

Okay -- _definitely_ impressed, even as Mitchell took his hand and pulled him out of the cot.

Someone -- definitely Stefan, right above Valentina -- only sighed in disappointment. “We didn’t even get to see Connor with his shirt off.”

Connor, always amused by the younger teen, only grinned, his hands hovering the hem of his shirt. “Oh, you want to? I can -”

“Nope,” Mitchell was already dragging him out of the door, his voice leaving no arguments. “No stripping before my siblings before noon, it’s a rule.”

“An unnecessary one,” Connor fluttered his eyelashes, “there’s only one person I want to strip for _”_

“Really?” Mitchell gave him an amused look, quickly turning a shade darker. “Why don’t you prove it?”

“But Mitchell!” Connor’s hand came over his chest, even as Mitchell used the other one to lead him towards their hide-out. “That’s against the rules! It’s before noon!”

Mitchell paused, letting the other boy catch up with him before pulling Connor to his chest. Ah, what a world.

“C’mon,” Mitchell grinned at him, laced with a certain brand of trouble, and Connor’s knees nearly went weak. “Let’s break some rules.”

Connor was so fucking gay.

“Yeah, okay,” he breathlessly agreed, because Jesus Christ Mitchell, _what did he expect._

“Lead the way, _Rulebreaker,_ ” Mitchell gestured ahead, a smug look on his face.

And, of course, Connor would do as Mitchell said -- that was a nearly guaranteed promise -- but not before he thoroughly snogged that boy behind the camp store.

**Author's Note:**

> AH i didn't realize how long it's been since I wrote conchell, and I loved this prompt so eh, why not. One day i'll finish the thanksgiving fic lol.  
> the title of this google doc was 'this wasn't supposed to be this long' and jfc it's so true  
> follow me on tumblr for weird rants and posts about my ocs rosyredlipstick.tumblr.com


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